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A highrise tower atop short columns in Nantong, China was threatened by excavation of a subway station nearby. Although an elaborate protection plan composed of isolation piles, artificial recharge and underpinning was executed throughout the excavations, the tower underwent unacceptable settlements and notable inclinations. In combination of field measurements and numerical simulations, this paper investigates the tower's responses to the adjacent excavations, examines the effects of adopted protection plans and explores potential effective protection plans. First, the responses of the tower and the effectiveness of the three implemented measures were examined, and the contributory factors triggering intolerable tower deformations were identified; then, the effects of primary protection parameters were quantified, including the length, stiffness and layout of isolation piles, the water level surrounding recharge wells after recharging and the depth and location of wells, and the length of underpinning piles. It reveals that the underpinning plan had the best protection effect, followed by isolation piles and recharging wells. Construction timing of protection measures and termination manners of recharging are two critical factors in restraining tower deformations. Moreover, underpinning the tower with 36-m long steel pipe piles solely before implementation of adjacent excavations could be another optimal protection scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry water (DW) is a relatively new type of fire extinguishing material with a nuclear shell structure. It is advantageous because it contains both dry powder and water mist—which are effective for extinguishing fires—and has extensive research prospects. DW contains a considerable amount of water, and research on the stability of its core shell structure is crucial. Different additives can also be incorporated into DW to improve its fire extinguishing efficiency. This study prepared six distinct DW samples, some of which had various additives. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to confirm the shapes and structures of these DW samples. The study determined the fundamental characteristics of the DW samples by examining their bulk densities and particle size distributions. Centrifugation tests and thermogravimetric analyses were conducted to examine the stability and water content of the DW samples. The study also performed a fire extinguishing experiment in a semiopen space to test the fire extinguishing effectiveness of the DW samples. The results revealed that the stability of DW samples was enhanced by gel additives and that their fire extinguishing efficiency could be improved by the various additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrocellulose is a highly combustible substance that is extensively utilized in creating a variety of products, making the appropriate handling and storage of this material vital for worker safety. In our analysis, we assessed the dangers associated with nitrocellulose by both numerical and experimental research. We calculated the heat release rate, the time necessary to attain the maximum rate, and the total heat of reaction for nitrocellulose under various conditions using calorimetry and thermokinetic techniques. Our findings demonstrated that the rate of heat release and the total heat of the reaction rose as temperature and concentration increased. In addition, the addition of stabilizers and diluents to the nitrocellulose mixture reduced both the rate of heat release and the total heat of the reaction. The congruence between experimental findings and numerical simulations confirmed the validity of our modeling strategy. Overall, the results of our research give essential information for evaluating the dangers, such as the temperature and activation energy, associated with nitrocellulose and indicate viable solutions for strengthening the material's safety during handling and long-term storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Deficiency of citrin, the liver-type aspartate-glutamate carrier, arises from biallelic mutations of the gene SLC25A13. Although citrin deficiency (CD) is associated with higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in adult patients, this association remains inconclusive in pediatric cases. The patient in this paper had been diagnosed to have CD by SLC25A13 analysis at the age 10 months, and then in response to dietary therapy, her prolonged jaundice and marked hepatosplenomegaly resolved gradually. However, she was referred to the hospital once again due to recurrent abdominal distention for 2 weeks at her age 4 years and 9 months, when prominently enlarged liver and spleen were palpated, along with a strikingly elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level of 27605 ng/mL as well as a large mass in the right liver lobe and a suspected tumor thrombus within the portal vein on enhanced computed tomography. After 4 rounds of adjuvant chemotherapy, right hepatic lobectomy and portal venous embolectomy were performed at her age 5 years and 3 months, and metastatic hepatoblastoma was confirmed by histopathological analysis. Afterwards, the patient underwent 5 additional cycles of chemotherapy and her condition remained stable for 7 months after surgery. Unfortunately, hepatoblastoma recurred in the left lobe at the age 5 years and 10 months, which progressed rapidly into liver failure, and led to death at the age 6 years and 1 month. As far as we know, this is the the first case of hepatoblastoma in a patient with CD, raising the possibility of an association between these two conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For degree ± 1 harmonic maps from R 2 (or S 2 ) to S 2 , Bernand-Mantel et al. (Arch Ration Mech Anal 239(1):219–299, 2021) recently establish a uniformly quantitative stability estimate. Namely, for any map u : R 2 → S 2 with degree ± 1 , the discrepancy of its Dirichlet energy and 4 π can linearly control the H ˙ 1 -difference of u from the set of degree ± 1 harmonic maps. Whether a similar estimate holds for harmonic maps with a higher degree is unknown. In this paper, we prove that a similar quantitative stability result for a higher degree is true only in a local sense. Namely, given a harmonic map, a similar estimate holds if u is already sufficiently near to it (modulo Möbius transforms) and the bound in general depends on the given harmonic map. More importantly, we thoroughly investigate an example of the degree 2 case, which shows that it fails to have a uniformly quantitative estimate like the degree ± 1 case. This phenomenon shows the striking difference between degree ± 1 ones and higher degree ones. Finally, we also conjecture a new uniformly quantitative stability estimate based on our computation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manipulation of excitation modes and resultant emission colors in luminescent materials holds pivotal importance for encrypting information in anti-counterfeiting applications. Despite considerable achievements in multimodal and multicolor luminescent materials, existing options generally suffer from static monocolor emission under fixed external stimulation, rendering them vulnerability to replication. Achieving dynamic multimodal luminescence within a single material presents a promising yet challenging solution. Here, we report the development of a phosphor exhibiting dynamic multicolor photo-luminescence (PL) and photo-thermo-mechanically responsive multimodal emissions through the incorporation of trace Mn2+ ions into a self-activated CaGa4O7 host. The resulting phosphor offers adjustable emission-color changing rates, controllable via re-excitation intervals and photo-excitation powers. Additionally, it demonstrates temperature-induced color reversal and anti-thermal-quenched emission, alongside reproducible elastic mechanoluminescence (ML) characterized by high mechanical durability. Theoretical calculations elucidate electron transfer pathways dominated by intrinsic interstitial defects and vacancies for dynamic multicolor emission. Mn2+ dopants serve a dual role in stabilizing nearby defects and introducing additional defect levels, enabling flexible multi-responsive luminescence. This developed phosphor facilitates evolutionary color/pattern displays in both temporal and spatial dimensions using readily available tools, offering significant promise for dynamic anticounterfeiting displays and multimode sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early identification of abnormal left ventricular function in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is difficult using conventional echocardiographic indices and commonly used clinical markers of myocardial damage. We sought to investigate the value of automatic function imaging and myocardial work parameters in predicting early cardiac impairment in children having OSA with preserved left heart function and thereby identifying an optimal index for assessment. Patients and Methods: Fifty-two children who presented with symptoms of nocturnal sleep snoring and open-mouth breathing and 34 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Clinical characteristics and conventional echocardiographic data were collected, and image analysis was performed using two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography to obtain left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS), post-systolic index, peak strain dispersion, global work index (GWI), global constructive work (GCW), global wasted work, and global work efficiency. Results: Children with OSA had significantly lower GLS, GWI, and GCW than those without (P < 0.05). Additionally, GWI (β = −32.87, 95% CI: −53.47 to −12.27), and GCW (β = −35.09, 95% CI: −55.35 to −14.84) were found to correlate with the disease severity in the multiple linear regression mode, with worsening values observed as the severity of the disease increased. ROC curve analysis revealed that GCW was the best predictor of myocardial dysfunction, with an AUC of 0.809 (P < 0.001), and the best cutoff point for diagnosing myocardial damage in children with OSA was 1965.5 mmHg%, with a sensitivity of 92.5% and a specificity of 58.7%. Conclusions: GLS, GWI, and GCW were identified as predictors of myocardial dysfunction in children with OSA, with GCW being the best predictor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension (HTN) affects over 1.2 billion individuals worldwide and is defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥ 140 mmHg and diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg. Hypertension is also considered a high risk factor for cerebrovascular diseases, which may lead to vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). VCI is associated with executive dysfunction and is also a transitional stage between hypertension and vascular dementia. Hence, it is essential to establish a reliable approach to diagnosing the severity of VCI. In 28 HTN (51–83 yrs; 18 males, 10 females) and 28 healthy controls (HC) (51–75 yrs; 7 males, 21 females), we investigated which regions demonstrate alterations in the resting-state functional connectome due to vascular cognitive impairment in HTN by using the amplitude of the low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), graph theoretical analysis (GTA), and network-based statistic (NBS) methods. In the group comparison between ALFF/ReHo, HTN showed reduced spontaneous activity in the regions corresponding to vascular or metabolic dysfunction and enhanced brain activity, mainly in the primary somatosensory cortex and prefrontal areas. We also observed cognitive dysfunction in HTN, such as executive function, processing speed, and memory. Both the GTA and NBS analyses indicated that the HTN demonstrated complex local segregation, worse global integration, and weak functional connectivity. Our findings show that resting-state functional connectivity was altered, particularly in the frontal and parietal regions, by hypertensive individuals with potential vascular cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Localized solutions are known to arise in a variety of singularly perturbed reaction–diffusion systems. The Gierer–Meinhardt (GM) system is one such example and has been the focus of numerous rigorous and formal studies. A more recent focus has been the study of localized solutions in systems exhibiting anomalous diffusion, particularly with Lévy flights. In this paper, we investigate localized solutions to a one-dimensional fractional GM system for which the inhibitor’s fractional order is supercritical. Specifically, we assume the fractional orders of the activator and inhibitor are, respectively, in the ranges s 1 ∈ (1 / 4 , 1) and s 2 ∈ (0 , 1 / 2) . Using the method of matched asymptotic expansions, we reduce the construction of multi-spike solutions to solving a nonlinear algebraic system. The linear stability of the resulting multi-spike solutions is then addressed by studying a globally coupled eigenvalue problem. In addition to these formal results, we also rigorously establish the existence and stability of ground state solutions when the inhibitor’s fractional order is nearly critical. The fractional Green’s function, for which we present a rapidly converging series expansion, is prominently featured throughout both the formal and rigorous analysis in this paper. Moreover, we emphasize that the striking similarities between the one-dimensional supercritical GM system and the classical three-dimensional GM system can be attributed to the leading-order singular behaviour of the fractional Green’s function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Dumping syndrome (DS) is a shared but underappreciated complication after metabolic-bariatric surgery. The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence and intensity of symptoms suggestive of DS and their relationship with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Method: A retrospective cohort study was performed for all patients with a history of sleeve gastrectomy between July 2017 and July 2022 in our center. Basial clinic statistics were gathered from electronic medical database, the prevalence and severity of DS were assessed by Dumping Symptom Rating Scale (DSRS), and HRQOL is collected through the Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36). Result: In total, 133 of 202 patients completed the questionnaire (response rate 65.8%). A total of 64.7% (N = 86) of participants were female, aged 34.0 (IQR 26.0–39.0) years at completion of the questionnaire, with a mean body mass index of 35.8 (IQR 31.4–40.5) kg/m2. The prevalence of symptoms suggestive of DS was 45.9% (N = 61), and the associated protective factor was the time between surgery and study. Compared with the patients without DS, patients with DS scored significantly worse on four of eight SF-36 subdomains. Conclusion: Symptoms suggestive of early dumping syndrome after sleeve gastrectomy are common and are associated with a worse health-related quality of life, which deserves clinical attention. Additional counselling, education, and care are needed to mitigate the decline in quality of life caused by dumping symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Known for its species abundance and evolutionary status complexity, family Roseobacteraceae is an important subject of many studies on the discovery, identification, taxonomic status, and ecological properties of marine bacteria. This study compared and analyzed the phylogenetic, genomic, biochemical, and chemo taxonomical properties of seven species from three genera (Psychromarinibacter, Lutimaribacter, and Maritimibacter) of the family Roseobacteraceae. Moreover, a novel strain, named C21-152T was isolated from solar saltern sediment in Weihai, China. The values of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, the average nucleotide identity (ANI), the average amino acid identity (AAI), and the digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) between genomes of the novel strain and Psychromarinibacter halotolerans MCCC 1K03203T were 97.19, 78.49, 73.45, and 21.90%, respectively. Genome sequencing of strain C21-152T revealed a complete Sox enzyme system related to thiosulfate oxidization as well as a complete pathway for the final conversion of hydroxyproline to α-ketoglutarate. In addition, strain C21-152T was resistant to many antibiotics and had the ability to survive below 13% salinity. This strain had versatile survival strategies in saline environments including salt-in, compatible solute production and compatible solute transport. Some of its physiological features enriched and complemented the knowledge of the characteristics of the genus Psychromarinibacter. Optimum growth of strain C21-152T occurred at 37 ℃, with 5–6% (w/v) NaCl and at pH 7.5. According to the results of the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic characterization, phylogenetic properties and genome analysis, strain C21-152T should represent a novel specie of the genus Psychromarinibacter, for which the name Psychromarinibacter sediminicola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is C21-152T (= MCCC 1H00808T = KCTC 92746T = SDUM1063002T). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous silicon nitride ceramics is a promising functional ceramic material. In recent years, the research on the preparation of porous silicon nitride ceramics within different methods has been widely investigated. First, this work reviews the main synthesis methods of Si3N4 porous ceramics in detail, and compares the differences between strength and porosity caused by each method. The characteristics and advantages of different technologies under the current conditions were evaluated. Second, the dielectric properties, sound absorption properties and permeability properties of silicon nitride ceramics were compared and summarized based on the experimental results. Third, the applications fields of porous silicon nitride ceramics, such as smelting industry, catalyst carrier, sound absorption, wave-transparent, and biomedical fields were explored. Finally, the assessment of different silicon nitride ceramics preparation technologies was elaborated. This review gives an outlook on the porous silicon nitride ceramics, which shows great potential for further research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1-Hydroxy-7-azabenzotriazole (HOAT) as a key benzotriazole derivative has been widely used in biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical fields. Nevertheless, its energetic property was usually neglected and its thermal hazard characteristics were still unknown. Therefore, this study focused on analyzing the thermal hazard characteristics of HOAT in nonisothermal, isothermal, and adiabatic conditions through differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analyzer, and accelerating rate calorimeter. The relevant thermal decomposition parameters and process safety parameters were evaluated, and the most probable mechanistic function of the main exothermic stage of HOAT decomposition was identified. The microscopic pyrolysis mechanisms of HOAT were investigated based on density functional theory calculations, thermogravimetric-photoionization mass spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive spectra tests. Electrostatic potentials, Laplacian bond order, and main decomposition pathways of HOAT pyrolysis were explored. The research results demonstrated that HOAT decomposition is a process with large amounts of heat and gas released rapidly. The main gaseous products include N2, C2H2, NO, and HCN. The most dangerous step is the six-membered ring opening to form a five-membered carbon–nitrogen heterocyclic with higher heat release. This study contributed to understanding the thermal decomposition characteristics of HOAT and properly providing guidance for improving the thermal safety of HOAT production, transportation, storage, application and formulating emergency plans for related thermal hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire accidents are unpredictable, especially oil fires, which often lead to serious losses because they cannot be extinguished quickly. Accidents are unavoidable, even though it is desirable to prevent them with solid preventative measures. There are two approaches to the study of fire. On the one hand, it is to study the intrinsic safety of hazardous substances; on the other hand, it is to study the energy efficiency of fire extinguishing substances. While the latter tries to investigate effective control conditions, the former aims to prevent the occurrence of fires. In reality, as the most commonly used fire extinguishing carrier, water is an effective weapon for different fires. Therefore, with the purpose of environmental protection and energy conservation, the fire extinguishing effect of the water mist system under pure water and low concentration of green additives is explored. The self-made polymer composite additives and NaCl salt were compared with pure water mist system. The findings show that under this low-pressure system, 1% polymer composite additives had the best extinction efficiency enhancement, pure water under medium and high pressure was more effective, and 1% NaCl salt additive negatively correlated with the extinction efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fireworks are composed of flammable and explosive materials, and during manufacture, transportation, and related processes, these materials are susceptible to static electricity, impact, friction, and explosion degradation, causing fire- and explosion-related accidents. Sorbitan monooleate (SPAN-80) is a widely used emulsifier in emulsion explosives. This study used differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis to characterise the propellant reaction kinetics in fireworks to explore the safety effects of emulsifiers on propellants. Additionally, the intensity of the thermal decomposition reaction of the propellant after the addition of the emulsifier was compared. Simulation models were used to simulate the thermal hazards of propellants and emulsified propellants. The results reveal that the emulsifier affected the decomposition process of the propellant, and the presence of the emulsifier reduced the sensitivity of the propellant. This paper also outlines the thermal hazard parameters of fireworks by using a thermokinetic model, which can serve as a reference for related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diallyl phthalate (DAP), a crucial raw material in producing resin materials, has been studied widely in terms of its polymerization process and application in material modification. However, less attention has been paid to its safety. In this study, the influence of initiators on the thermal hazard of DAP was examined from various viewpoints by conducting thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry experiments and by performing thermokinetic analysis with multiple models. Moreover, the reaction mechanism of DAP was studied. The three-step autocatalysis reaction simulations agreed well with the experimental findings obtained for DAP. The simulated conversion limit time and time to the maximum rate under adiabatic conditions indicate that the thermal hazard of DAP can serve as a reference for controlling its production and storage temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrocellulose is a typical nitro-energetic material that has been widely used in civil and military fields; however, its high flammability and explosibility have made it the main hazard factor in many industrial accidents. Understanding the thermal characteristics of this material is the basis for effective hazard control. Therefore, we investigated the thermal stability parameters of nitrocellulose by using multiple calorimetric techniques (thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, and adiabatic accelerating calorimetry). The Friedman, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose, Starink, and Vyazovkin thermokinetic methods were used to analyze the activation energy of nitrocellulose under different oxygen contents (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 21%). In addition, the mechanisms of thermal decomposition, adiabatic temperature rise, time to conversion limit, and self-accelerating decomposition temperature were determined. The results reveal that the thermal decomposition of nitrocellulose in a nitrogen atmosphere was a one-step autocatalytic reaction. The activation energy under different oxygen contents showed an "increase–stabilize–decrease" trend during thermal decomposition. The findings of this study can serve as a reference for the suitable production, storage, transportation, and usage of nitrocellulose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hazardous chemicals often have the characteristics of high-energy and high-risk, and environmental factors have a significant impact on them. Trinitrophloroglucinol, as an essential energetic intermediate, is widely used in the modern military, aerospace, and energy fields. It is the representative substance of aromatic nitro compounds. Due to the unique properties of nitro, it has both an electron absorption conjugation effect and an electron absorption induction effect. These two effects lead to nitro becoming an electron absorption group, giving it high energy. For such dangerous substances containing nitro, it is of far-reaching significance to study the impact of environmental changes on their safety status. To determine the thermal safety performance of these substances in different external environments, different calorimetric devices, including thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, and accelerating rate calorimeter, are used to simulate different storage environments. Combined with calorimetric data, thermokinetic models suitable for trinitrophloroglucinol were established for thermal safety analysis. The results provide some quantitative guidance for the use and storage of aromatic nitro compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Western studies have explored bariatric surgeons concerning their views on bariatric surgery (BS) and reproductive health, but Asian data were lacking. The aim of this study was to explore the perception and practice of bariatric surgeons on the reproductive health of female patients who underwent BS in China to better guide clinical practice and improve clinical outcomes. Method: An online questionnaire of 31 questions developed by bariatric surgeons was collected by sending to one online communication group (WeChat group) whose members are Chinese bariatric surgeons. Result: A total of 87 bariatric surgeons from mainland China were surveyed. Almost all (97.7%, 85/87) surgeons considered the reproductive health conversation for women who underwent BS to be important or very important. Only 1/4 of surgeons routinely discuss reproductive health–related issues with patients, and only 56% of doctors always ask patients for postoperative contraception. Less than 20% of bariatric surgeons have full knowledge of postoperative contraception, and nearly 40% of them believe that gynecologists should be responsible for providing contraception. More than 35% of bariatric surgeons have never been involved in the co-management of pregnancy in patients with a history of BS. Conclusion: Although most bariatric surgeons are aware of the importance of female reproductive health, there is a large gap in the perception and clinical practice of bariatric surgeons in terms of reproductive health. It is necessary to further strengthen the education of bariatric surgeons and enhance multidisciplinary cooperation with gynecology, obstetrics, and other disciplines to bring better clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bariatric surgery (BS) is escalating as the most efficient and endurable therapy for severe obesity. Women's reproductive health is essential to women's quality of life and is receiving increasing attention. However, despite the high prevalence of BS among women, the effect of BS on reproductive health remains underemphasis. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide an overview of BS on women's reproductive health, including their reproductive health before, during, and after pregnancy. Although limited attention has been given, current evidence highlights the substantial implications of bariatric surgery on reproductive health and reminds us of the importance of adopting decision-making conversations about reproductive health before bariatric surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/purpose of the study: There is a need to find a standardized and low-risk diagnostic tool that can non-invasively detect non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which is a technique combining Raman spectroscopy (RS) with nanotechnology, has recently received considerable attention due to its potential for improving medical diagnostics. We aimed to investigate combining SERS and neural network approaches, using a liver biopsy dataset to develop and validate a new diagnostic model for non-invasively identifying NASH. Methods: Silver nanoparticles as the SERS-active nanostructures were mixed with blood serum to enhance the Raman scattering signals. The spectral data set was used to train the NASH classification model by a neural network primarily consisting of a fully connected residual module. Results: Data on 261 Chinese individuals with biopsy-proven NAFLD were included and a prediction model for NASH was built based on SERS spectra and neural network approaches. The model yielded an AUROC of 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70–0.92) in the validation set, which was better than AUROCs of both serum CK-18-M30 levels (AUROC 0.63, 95% CI 0.48–0.76, p = 0.044) and the HAIR score (AUROC 0.65, 95% CI 0.51–0.77, p = 0.040). Subgroup analyses showed that the model performed well in different patient subgroups. Conclusions: Fully connected neural network-based serum SERS analysis is a rapid and practical tool for the non-invasive identification of NASH. The online calculator website for the estimated risk of NASH is freely available to healthcare providers and researchers (http://www.pan-chess.cn/calculator/RAMAN_score). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of macrophages in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is complex and unclear. Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on nonparenchymal cells isolated from NASH and control mice. The expression of Vsig4+ macrophages was verified by qPCR, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Primary hepatic macrophages were cocultured with primary hepatocytes or hepatic stellate cells (LX2) cells by Transwell to detect immunofluorescence and oil red O staining. Results: Two main single macrophage subsets were identified that exhibited a significant change in cell percentage when NASH occurred: resident Kupffer cells (KCs; Cluster 2) and lipid-associated macrophages (LAMs; Cluster 13). Nearly 82% of resident single KCs in Cluster 2 specifically expressed Cd163, and an inhibited subgroup of Cd163+ resident single-KCs was suggested to be protective against NASH. Similar to Cd163, Vsig4 was both enriched in and specific to Cluster 2. The percentage of Vsig4+-KCs was significantly decreased in NASH in vivo and in vitro. Hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells produced less lipid droplet accumulation, proinflammatory protein (TNF-α) and profibrotic protein (α-SMA) in response to coculture with Vsig4+-KCs than in those cocultured with lipotoxic KCs. Conclusions: A subgroup of Vsig4+ resident single-KCs was shown to improve hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in NASH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research has examined burn injury in the pediatric population with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We used data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to identify 15,844 participants aged <18 years with ASD and 130,860 participants without ASD. Our results revealed that the hazard ratios differed across three age ranges. The ASD group had a lower risk of burn injury than the non-ASD group when they were less than 6 years of age, a higher risk from 6 years to 12 years of age, and no difference when they were older than 12 years of age. More research is required to study the characteristics and causes of burn injury in the pediatric population with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct a radial smooth positive ancient solution for energy critical semi-linear heat equation in R n , n ≥ 7 . It blows up at the origin with the profile of multiple Talenti bubbles in the backward time infinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low back pain is common after lumbar spine surgery and the injury from extensive detachment of paraspinal muscles during the surgery may play a vital role. Previously, we prepared a bovine acellular tendon fiber (ATF) material through lyophilization and proved that it could retain its original fibrillar structure and mechanical properties. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this new fiber material used for attachment structure reconstruction of paraspinal muscle. Defect of spinous process, interspinous and supraspinous ligament was established on lumbar spine in rabbit and rat and ATF linear material was implanted to reconstruct the attachment structure. Ultrasound showed the cross-sectional area of the paraspinal muscle in ATF group was larger than that of control group in rats. MRI showed the irregular shape and high signal changes in control group, but regular shape and uniform signal in the ATF group in rabbit. For Electromyogram, the frequency of evoked potential in control group was lower than ATF group and normal rats. HE and Masson staining showed good tissue healing, and immunohistochemical results showed the immune rejection of ATF is significantly lower than that of suture. Reconstruction of the attachment structure of paraspinous muscles with ATF linear material could maintain the morphology, volume and function of paraspinal muscle. ATF material has the potential to be used to manufacture personalized ligaments and other tissue engineering scaffolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the ground-state phases, the stability phase diagram and collapse dynamics of Bose—Einstein condensates (BECs) with tunable spin—orbit (SO) coupling in the two-dimensional harmonic potential by variational analysis and numerical simulation. Here we propose the theory that the collapse stability and collapse dynamics of BECs in the external trapping potential can be manipulated by the periodic driving of Raman coupling (RC), which can be realized experimentally. Through the high-frequency approximation, an effective time-independent Floquet Hamiltonian with two-body interaction in the harmonic potential is obtained, which results in a tunable SO coupling and a new effective two-body interaction that can be manipulated by the periodic driving strength. Using the variational method, the phase transition boundary and collapse boundary of the system are obtained analytically, where the phase transition between the spin-nonpolarized phase with zero momentum (zero momentum phase) and spin-polarized phase with non-zero momentum (plane wave phase) can be manipulated by the external driving and sensitive to the strong external trapping potential. Particularly, it is revealed that the collapsed BECs can be stabilized by periodic driving of RC, and the mechanism of collapse stability manipulated by periodic driving of RC is clearly revealed. In addition, we find that the collapse velocity and collapse time of the system can be manipulated by periodic driving strength, which also depends on the RC, SO coupling strength and external trapping potential. Finally, the variational approximation is confirmed by numerical simulation of Gross—Pitaevskii equation. Our results show that the periodic driving of RC provides a platform for manipulating the ground-state phases, collapse stability and collapse dynamics of the SO coupled BECs in an external harmonic potential, which can be realized easily in current experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the world, and liver fibrosis has been proven to be associated with liver disease related events and total mortality. Several noninvasive methods have been developed, but whether those methods are suitable for the detection of fibrosis in Chinese patients with obesity and NAFLD has not been completely elucidated. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), aspartate transaminase to platelet ratio index (APRI), modified aspartate transaminase to platelet ratio index (m-APRI), BARD (BARD (BMI (body mass index) > 28 = 1 point, AAR (aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase) > 0.8 = 2 points, DM (diabetes mellitus) = 1 point)), NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), and shear wave elastography (SWE) in the evaluation of the degree of liver fibrosis in Chinese patients with obesity and NAFLD. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study consisted of 100 patients. The accuracy of FIB-4, APRI, m-APRI, BARD, NFS, and SWE in the assessment of significant or advanced liver fibrosis in Chinese patients with obesity and NAFLD was compared. Results: Weight and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were independent risk factors for liver fibrosis. SWE, APRI, and m-APRI had significant efficiency in the diagnosis of significant fibrosis in patients with obesity and NAFLD. APRI and SWE were superior to the other methods in the diagnosis of significant and advanced liver fibrosis in patients with obesity and NAFLD. APRI and SWE showed no statistically significant difference in diagnostic efficiency. Conclusions: Weight and ALT are independent risk factors for liver fibrosis progression in NAFLD patients. SWE and APRI have predictive value for significant and advanced fibrosis of NAFLD in Chinese patients with obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toluene sulfonation is a typical synthetic process in the modern chemical industry. However, there are unexpected thermal hazards in this process, resulting in thermal runaway accidents. Aiming at the toluene sulfonation process's thermal safety and its product p-toluenesulfonic acid's thermal stability, this study adopted the reaction calorimeter and differential scanning calorimetry to test its thermal behaviour. A variety of nonisothermal methods were used to calculate the kinetic parameters. Through the autocatalytic model and n-order model simulations, the reaction mechanism was speculated. The comparison showed that the apparent activation energy values calculated by iso-conversional methods were more reliable. The findings of the study can provide helpful data and suggestions for the toluene sulfonation reaction and product safety to reduce the potential risks in the industrial process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-axis electrical discharging machining (EDM) is the most commonly used manufacturing method for shrouded blisks. However, debris is difficult to be evacuated from a discharge gap, severely affecting the machining efficiency. Spatial planetary movements of a tool electrode can generate a non-uniform flow field in a discharge gap, promoting the evacuation of debris. This paper proposes a spatial planetary movement method for EDM of inclined holes. Screw theory is used to derive the kinematics of a spatial planetary movement, and the coordinate increments of each axis in an interpolation period can be calculated. The trajectories of the spatial planetary movements are simulated. The reliability of the method is confirmed by the simulation. Then, a multi-axis EDM machine can be controlled to drive a tool electrode to realize the spatial planetary movement. Machining experiments are carried out to explore the influences of the spatial planetary movement parameters on the machining performance of multi-axis EDM. Experiment results show that the increase in the amplitude of spatial planetary movements can improve discharge rate and gap status. The machining depth and machining efficiency of multi-axis EDM can be increased ulteriorly. And the speed of spatial planetary movements has no significant effect on the performance of multi-axis EDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An association has been shown between chronic cigarette smoking and structural abnormalities in the brain areas related to several functions relevant to addictive behavior. However, few studies have focused on the structural alternations of chronic smoking by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Also, it remains unclear how structural alternations are associated with tobacco-dependence severity and the positive/negative outcome expectances. The q-sampling imaging (GQI) is an advanced diffusion MRI technique that can reconstruct more precise and consistent images of complex oriented fibers than other methods. We aimed to use GQI to evaluate the impact of the neurological structure caused by chronic smoking. Sixty-seven chronic smokers and 43 nonsmokers underwent a MRI scan. The tobacco dependence severity and the positive/negative outcome expectancies were assessed via self-report. We used GQI with voxel-based statistical analysis (VBA) to evaluate structural brain and connectivity abnormalities. Graph theoretical analysis (GTA) and network-based statistical (NBS) analysis were also performed to identify the structural network differences among groups. Chronic smokers had smaller GM and WM volumes in the bilateral frontal lobe and bilateral frontal region. The GM/WM volumes correlated with dependence severity and outcome expectancies in the brain areas involving high-level functions. Chronic smokers had shape changes in the left hippocampal head and tail and the inferior brain stem. Poorer WM integrity in chronic smokers was found in the left middle frontal region, the right superior fronto-occipital fasciculus, the right temporal region, the left parahippocampus, the left anterior internal capsule, and the right inferior parietal region. WM integrity correlated with dependence severity and outcome expectancies in brain areas involving high-level functions. Chronic smokers had decreased local segregation and global integration among the brain regions and networks. Our results provide further evidence indicating that chronic smoking may be associated with brain structure and connectivity changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several severe fires and explosions have happened in the past couple of decades. The major cause is addressed to the process reaction initiator. The cumulative heat effect can occur during processing, storage, and transportation. Acetic anhydride, one of the most crucial polymerization initiators, has been investigated in the present paper regarding its high thermal hazard risk. To analyze the thermal stability of acetic anhydride, a reaction calorimeter was used to determine the thermal parameters for stability assessment. We examined acetic anhydride samples under isothermal conditions of 40, 50, and 60 °C and considered factors such as stirring rate, feed rate, and temperature. The findings imply that the optimum operating environment for hydrolysis of acetic anhydride is 50 °C. The Arrhenius equation was used to determine the apparent activation energy of acetic anhydride hydrolysis as 57.77 kJ mol–1. A multiple nonlinear regression model was established to further confirm that the acetic anhydride reaction system was autocatalytic, along with an n-order reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been widely used to acquire structural and functional information about the brain. In a group- or voxel-wise analysis, it is essential to correct the bias field of the radiofrequency coil and to extract the brain for accurate registration to the brain template. Although automatic methods have been developed, manual editing is still required, particularly for echo-planar imaging (EPI) due to its lower spatial resolution and larger geometric distortion. The needs of user interventions slow down data processing and lead to variable results between operators. Deep learning networks have been successfully used for automatic postprocessing. However, most networks are only designed for a specific processing and/or single image contrast (e.g., spin-echo or gradient-echo). This limitation markedly restricts the application and generalization of deep learning tools. To address these limitations, we developed a deep learning network based on the generative adversarial net (GAN) to automatically correct coil inhomogeneity and extract the brain from both spin- and gradient-echo EPI without user intervention. Using various quantitative indices, we show that this method achieved high similarity to the reference target and performed consistently across datasets acquired from rodents. These results highlight the potential of deep networks to integrate different postprocessing methods and adapt to different image contrasts. The use of the same network to process multimodality data would be a critical step toward a fully automatic postprocessing pipeline that could facilitate the analysis of large datasets with high consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tert-butylperoxy-2-ethylhexyl carbonate (TBEC) is a colorless clear liquid with the molecular formula of C13H26O4, and it is often used as an initiator in polystyrene production. However, it has a high degree of thermal sensitivity. In order to study the thermal hazard of TBEC, the theoretical and experimental methods were combined to yield results. In the theoretical section, the bond energies of TBEC were calculated by Gaussian16 software to analyze the instability of TBEC from the microscopic point of view. In the experimental section, the combustion test, Easy Max and Phi-tec II were utilized to study the thermal characteristic of TBEC. The adiabatic kinetic parameters were calculated; then time to maximum rate under adiabatic conditions (TMRad) and self-accelerated decomposition temperature (SADT) were also estimated. The results demonstrate that TBEC can evaporate to produce combustible gas during heating, and will burn violently when encountering an ignition source. According to the calculation results, the activation energy (Ea) of TBEC under adiabatic conditions is 156.16 kJ mol−1. And based on the value of SADT, the ambient temperature during storage and transportation of TBEC should be lower than 51.83 °C. The results can help designers decide whether it is necessary to take extra measures to reduce risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrocellulose (NC) is widely used in both military and civilian fields. Because of its high chemical sensitivity and low decomposition temperature, NC is prone to spontaneous combustion. Due to the dangerous properties of NC, it is often dissolved in other organic solvents, then stored and transported in the form of a solution. Therefore, this paper took NC solutions (NC-S) with different concentrations as research objects. Under different atmospheric conditions, a series of thermal analysis experiments and different reaction kinetic methods investigated the influence of solution concentration and oxygen concentration on NC-S's thermal stability. The variation rules of NC-S's thermodynamic parameters with solution and oxygen concentrations were explored. On this basis, the spontaneous combustion characteristics of NC-S under actual industrial conditions were summarized to put forward the theoretical guidance for the spontaneous combustion treatment together with the safety in production, transportation, and storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porphyrin-based conjugated microporous polymers have shown the huge application potential in energy storage systems, but the low conductivity limits the practical applications. In this work, copper porphyrin-linked conjugated microporous polymer (CuTAPP-CMP) is synthesized. Then CuTAPP-CMP is combined with greatly conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by simple vacuum filtration strategy. The resulting CuTAPP-CMP/CNTs-3 shows the flexible property, which enables them to be the flexible electrodes for supercapacitors (SCs). Fortunately, the flexible electrode of CuTAPP-CMP/CNTs-3 shows the specific capacitance of 207.8 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 as well as long cycle performance over 3700 cycles at 20 A g−1. The good electrochemical properties could be due to the synergic action of the high conductivity of CNTs and the high pseudocapacitance of CuTAPP-CMP. Our work provides a way to open up high-performance organic electro-active materials for SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Recent studies have demonstrated that cigarette smoking is related to changes in brain structure and function. However, few studies focus on functional brain differences between male chronic smokers and nonsmokers in both local spontaneous activity and whole-brain functional networks. Objectives: Our study recruited 67 chronic smokers and 43 nonsmokers who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to investigate functional activity and connectivity alterations in chronic smokers. Methods: We used the mean fractional amplitude of the low-frequency fluctuation (mfALFF) and mean regional homogeneity (mReHo) methods to investigate resting-state spontaneous activity in chronic smokers and nonsmokers. The graph theoretical analysis (GTA) and network-based statistical (NBS) analysis were also used to investigate functional connectivity alterations. Results: Compared with nonsmokers, chronic smokers exhibited higher activation in the reward system and portions of the prefrontal cortex but lower activation in the default mode networks (DMN) and visual-related regions. In addition, correlation analysis was conducted to assess the associations between neuroimaging findings and the severity of nicotine dependence or expectations of smoking effects. Our results showed that certain brain regions correlated with the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), the positive aspect of the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test Extended (DUDIT-E), and the negative aspect of the DUDIT-E, especially in the attentional control networks and hippocampus. The graph theoretical analysis (GTA) results indicated chronic smokers exhibited a trend toward increased assortativity. Our network-based statistical (NBS) analysis revealed reduced functional connections between the subnetwork in the prefrontal cortex, olfactory cortex, angular gyrus, and cingulate gyrus of chronic smokers. Conclusions: We concluded that chronic smokers have neural adaptations in local spontaneous activity but remain healthy brain functional networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosmeceutical products have improved over the years; however, the explosions and fire accidents in cosmeceutical factories worldwide have not ceased. Literature researches on this genre of potential risk have been seldom published. Cosmeceutical benzoyl peroxide (CBPO) is usually used on facial products, especially for acne treatment. The thermal stability of CBPO with additions and calorimetric technology is utilized to obtain the thermal stability and reaction characteristics. Depending on the experimental thermal stability parameters, apparent activation energy was calculated by various integral and differential kinetic models. Uniting the isoconversional kinetic analysis and numerical simulation of the isothermal condition can better realize the decomposition characteristics and potential process risk. Dozens of milligrams of CBPO were dunked with 10,000 ppm of Cu, Fe, and Zn to inspect the exothermal behavior. The findings can be a reference for the essential safety parameters and customer safety design for the database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a special engineering plastics with excellent comprehensive properties, polyarylether (PAE) has been widely used in automobile manufacturing, aerospace, electronic communications, mechanical manufacturing and other fields. In industry, PAE is obtained by polymerization reaction. However, a number of accidents were caused by polymerization reactions. Therefore, a series of experiments were carried out to investigate the thermal hazard of PAE polymerization process to prevent the polymerization accidents. First, the reaction calorimeter (RC1e) was used to measure the heat released in the reaction process to obtain the thermodynamic parameters. The RC1e results showed that the adiabatic temperature rise (ΔTad) of polymerization was 97.99 °C, the maximum temperature attained by synthesis reaction was 127.99 °C and the maximum temperature technical for reasons was 110.60 °C. Then, the pyrolysis characteristics of the PAE in air and nitrogen atmosphere at different heating rates were scanned via thermogravimetry, and the apparent activation energy was calculated by Starink method. The PAE showed two significant mass loss peaks in the air atmosphere, but only one in the nitrogen atmosphere. The pyrolysis of PAE in the air atmosphere was more thoroughly compared to that in the nitrogen atmosphere. Finally, the risk class of thermal runaway of polymerization was evaluated according to the relevant criteria, the severity was "class 2," and the risk class was "class 3." These results were the foundation for preventive measures to reduce the potential risk during polymerization of PAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic neurocutaneous syndrome with variable and unpredictable neurological comorbidity that includes epilepsy, intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorder, and neurobehavioral abnormalities. The degree of white matter involvement is believed to be associated with the severity of neurological impairment. The goal of the present study was to evaluate diffusion characteristics of tubers, white matter lesions, and brain structural network alterations in TSC patients using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), graph theoretical analysis (GTA), and network-based statistical (NBS) analysis. Materials and methods: Forty-two patients with a definitive diagnosis of TSC were recruited for this study. All patients underwent brain DTI examination using a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging system. Mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD) values, and fractional anisotropy (FA) mapping in 52 tubers and white matter lesions were measured and compared with those of contralateral normal regions. GTA was performed on the inter-regional connectivity matrix, and NBS analysis was used to identify the significance of any connected subnetworks evident in the set of altered connections. For neurological severity subgrouping, a neurological severity score was assigned to TSC patients including those with ID, seizure, autism, and other neuropsychiatric disorders (NPDs). Results: Significantly higher MD, AD, and RD, and lower FA values, were found in TSC lesions compared with those measured in contralateral normal regions for tubers (P < 0.05). GTA and NBS analysis provided better local segregation but worse global integration of the structural network (regular-like network) in TSC patients with ID, seizure, and higher Neurological Severity Score. Disrupted subnetworks in TSC patients with severe status included connections from the frontal lobe to the parietal lobe, temporal lobe to the caudate, and temporal lobe to the insula. Discussion: DTI has the potential to provide valuable information about cytoarchitectural changes in TSC lesions beyond morphological MRI findings alone. Using GTA and NBS, current results provide the information of disrupted white matter connectivity and organization in TSC patients with different neuropsychological impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landslide hazards occurring in the complex geological genesis accumulation body are usually controlled by the coupling action of many internal and external factors. Therefore, this paper takes the dam-front Danbo accumulation body landslide of Yangfanggou hydropower station on the Yalong River as the geological prototype, and discusses the process and mechanism of slope stability degradation under the combined action of rainfall and slope construction. Based on the detailed understanding of the basic characteristics of the accumulation body, the development characteristics of the landslide and the construction situation of the slope engineering, the study conducted correlation analysis between rainfall and landslide displacement, the physical and mechanical tests of all types of rock-soil masses, and the numerical simulation testing of seepage field variation of the landslide section. It is found that the special slope structure and material composition of the old landslide accumulation layer on the upper part of the Danbo accumulation body are the internal factors for the occurrence of thrust load-induced landslide, and the construction of the slope engineering not only creates free space conditions for sliding, but also provides channels for the infiltration of rainfall into the slope after confluence, which is an external factor that caused the mechanical properties of the sliding zone soil to gradually weaken from the trailing edge to the leading edge. The geomechanical model of such landslide is that the active section of the trailing edge produces the "source of force", the transition section of the middle section affects the occurrence of sliding, and the anti-sliding section of the leading edge controls the occurrence of landslide hazards. The results of this research provide not only a useful supplement to the theory of landslide formation mechanisms but also a scientific basis for guiding the prevention and control of similar hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aimed to investigate whether changes in brain function measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be detected among individuals with depressive disorders and suicidal ideation. The association between depression severity and brain images is also discussed. Our study recruited 111 participants in three groups: 35 depressive patients with suicidal ideation (SI), 32 depressive patients without suicidal ideation (NS), and 44 healthy controls (HCs). All participants were scanned using 3T MRI to obtain resting-state functional images, and functional connectivity (FC), amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and graph theoretical analysis (GTA) were performed. We found functional activity differences, such as the hippocampus and thalamus, in the SI group compared with the NS group. We also concluded lower activity in the thalamus and cuneus regions were related to suicidal ideation. We also found several functional connectivity of the brain areas, such as hippocampus, cuneus, and frontal regions, in the SI group correlated with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). A graph theoretical analysis (GTA) and network-based statistical (NBS) analysis revealed different topological organization and slightly better local segregation of the brain network in healthy participants compared with those in depressive patients with suicidal ideation. We suggest that brain functional connectivity may be affected in depressive patients with suicidal ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous findings regarding declines in cognitive functioning among patients with breast cancer (BC) before and after chemotherapy have been inconsistent. The present study explored the effect of BC and cancer-related chemotherapies on cognitive functioning. Methods: A cross-sectional design was adopted to compare BC patients before their chemotherapy treatment, BC patients 3 ~ 9 months after the completion of chemotherapy, and noncancer controls. Evaluations of cognitive functioning included subjective and objective dimensions, with focus on memory, executive functioning, attention, and language. ANCOVA and Pearson's correlation analysis were used to examine the relationship among cancer, chemotherapy, cognitive performance, and psychological distress. Results: After adjustment for intelligence quotient, anxiety, and depression, we found significant differences in the Semantic Association of Verbal Fluency between post-chemotherapy (C/T) patients and noncancer controls. Specifically, post-C/T patients scored lower than controls (p = 0.03, η2 = 0.07). No significant differences were found in other objective cognitive measures. However, both subjective and objective cognitive scores were significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and fatigue. In BC patients, levels of anxiety were positively correlated with measures of executive function. Among pre-C/T patients, self-perceived interference by fatigue was positively associated with better performances in some of the objective cognitive measures. Conclusion: Our findings suggest cognitive impairments in the domain of executive functioning among patients with BC who received chemotherapy. Providing relevant suggestions or strategies of managements for these negative consequences may help increase the long-term quality of life of patients with BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel circulation process of electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) production with low-grade manganese oxide ores (LGMO) and high-sulfur manganese ores (HSMO) was studied and developed. The unit operations mainly include dissolution of LGMO, purification of leach liquor and electrolysis for EMM preparation. Based on the theoretical thermodynamic analysis, a reductive roasting-acid leaching process for utilizing LGMO using HSMO as reductant was investigated. The leaching efficiency of Mn and Fe could get to 97.30% and 17.50% with conditions set as following, which have all been verified through a series of experiments: the material ratio of 1.67:1 (mass ratio of HSMO to LGMO, w/w), roasting temperature of 600 °C for 60 min, L/S ratio of 5:1, stirring speed of 150 rpm, sulfuric acid concentration of 1.0 mol/L and the leaching temperature of 60 °C for 35 min. Meanwhile, the reduction roasting-acid leaching process applies to the Mn extraction for assorted manganese dioxide ores in general. Furthermore, the leach liquor was purified in two steps, and following a scale-up electrolysis process was implemented to prepare EMM from the purified liquors. The uniform and dense α-Mn with bcc crystal structure, meeting the requirement of metallurgical industry standard (YB/T 051-2003), could be stably produced in 9-day incessant ongoing test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of microsurgical gonadal-inferior epigastric vein anastomosis for the treatment of the nutcracker phenomenon (NCP) associated with left gonadal vein varices with reflux. Methods: Thirty-five patients with NCP associated with left gonadal vein varices with reflux diagnosed in our hospital from June 2016 to June 2018 were included. All patients underwent a shunt operation consisting of microsurgical gonadal-inferior epigastric vein anastomosis, and the patients were followed up for 1 year. Results: All patients were successfully operated on, with an average operation time of 96.5 ± 12.3 min. After a 1-year follow-up, the symptom of gross hematuria disappeared in 3 patients (including 1 woman). For the other 32 patients, the sperm concentration (27.43 ± 8.68 × 106/ml) and motility (33.06 ± 4.27%) postoperatively were significantly higher than that preoperatively (16.21 ± 6.43 × 106/ml and 23.48 ± 4.43%, respectively) (P < 0.05); among these patients, 2 had natural pregnancies with their spouses. The peak velocity (PV) at the aortomesenteric portion of the left renal vein (LRV) and the PV ratio between the aortomesenteric and hilar portion of the LRV significantly decreased after surgery (117.9 ± 30.4 cm/s vs 76.6 ± 18.5 cm/s; 7.3 ± 0.7 vs 4.1 ± 0.4). Two patients had complications of mild hydroceles requiring no intervention, and no major complications were observed during and after surgery. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the microsurgical gonadal-inferior epigastric vein anastomosis is both effective and safe to treat patients with gonadal varicose veins caused by the nutcracker phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the following elliptic Toda system associated to any general simple Lie algebra with multiple singular sources - Δ w i = ∑ j = 1 n a i , j e 2 w j + 2 π ∑ ℓ = 1 m β i , ℓ δ p ℓ in R 2 , w i (x) = - 2 log | x | + O (1) as | x | → ∞ , i = 1 , ... , n , where β i , ℓ ∈ [ 0 , 1) . Under some suitable assumption on β i , ℓ we establish the existence and non-existence results. This paper generalizes Luo and Tian's (Proc Am Math Soc 116(4):1119–1129, 1992) and Hyder et al. (Pac J Math 305(2):645–666, 2020) results to the general Toda system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have reported that prenatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can cause adverse behavioral effects or cognitive dysfunction in children. This study aimed to investigate a relationship of the concentration of prenatal EDCs and brain function in teenagers. We recruited 59 mother–child pairs during the third trimester of pregnancy, and collected and examined the concentration of EDCs, such as heavy metals, phthalates and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), in maternal urine and serum. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were collected in teenagers 13–16 years of age, and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) were performed to find the association between maternal EDC concentrations and the functional development of the teenage brain. We found a correlation between MBP concentration and activity in the superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus in the combined group of boys and girls. We also observed a correlation between MBzP concentration and activity in the anterior cingulum gyrus and insula in girls. We found a correlation between lead concentration and activity in the cuneus in the combined group. We also observed a correlation between MeHg concentration and activity in the superior temporal gyrus, caudate nucleus and putamen in the combined group. The PFOS results revealed a negative relationship between activity in the right putamen in boys, girls and the combined group after phthalate or heavy metals were applied as covariates. The PFNA results showed a negative correlation between activity in the left/right putamen and left caudate nucleus in boys, girls and the combined group after phthalate, heavy metals or PFOS were applied as covariates. We examined the correlations between maternal EDC concentrations and brain development and found that the associations with resting-state teenage brains in some circumstances are sex-related. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anoectochilus roxburghii and Anoectochilus formasanus are the major species of genus Anoectochilus used in traditional Chinese medicine for their abundant content of flavonoids and some other medicinal constituents. In recent years, their wild resources are gradually exhausted due to over-collection and ecological deterioration. Artificial cultivation and tissue culture are employed to increase production. In this study, the open reading frame, promoter and genomic sequences of the chalcone synthase (CHS) gene were cloned from these two species according to their transcriptome information, and used for expression analysis in response to the induction of phenylalanine, ultraviolet light and NaCl, and its effect investigation on accumulation of flavonoids. The results showed that the expression of the CHS genes was upregulated in response to these inductions and resulted in increasing accumulation of total flavonoids. However, the increased flavonoids induced by phenylalanine and ultraviolet light were mainly allocated into the anthocyanidin branch of flavonoids biosynthesis. Not only did it improved the medicinal value, but might have inhibitory effect on plant growth because of the increased malondialdehyde accumulation. Under the induction of appropriate concentration of NaCl, the medicinal constituents of flavonoids were increased without inhibition to plant growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the threats of sulfate ion (SO42−) deposition to terrestrial ecosystems is a great challenge. The canopy interception effect on SO42− deposition has been well documented, but the interception efficiency of the gap edge remains unknown. Therefore, a subalpine dragon spruce (Picea asperata) plantation was evaluated in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The dynamics of the SO42− concentration in the throughfall were investigated from the gap edge to the closed canopy during the rainfall and snowfall periods from August 2015 to July 2016. The annual input of SO42− totaled 2.56 kg/ha through rainfall and 0.69 kg/ha through snowfall. The total annual net interception fluxes (NIFs) of SO42− at the gap edge and in the closed canopy were 1.48 kg/ha and 0.66 kg/ha, respectively, and the net interception ratios (NIRs) accounted for 45.40% and 20.25%, respectively. The NIF and the NIR of SO42− at the gap edge were higher than those in the closed canopy. Therefore, the results suggested that a significant amount of SO42− deposition was intercepted by the tree canopy in the subalpine plantation, with more SO42− deposition at the gap edge than in the closed canopy, which is beneficial for improving the water quality in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River via forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]